Vocabulary practice: Part One (p. 39-42)
Word
Definition/Translation
‫שוט‬
switch
plowing
head of cattle
‫חרישה‬
‫ראש בקר‬
mules
‫פרדים‬
hogs
‫חזירים‬
firewood
‫עצי הסקה‬
stovewood
‫עצי בישול‬
to draw from the well
‫לדלות מהבאר‬
ridge
‫רכס‬
cow pasture
‫אחו‬
chipyard
‫חצר שבבי עץ‬
‫אסם‬
barn
spread fodder
‫לפזר חציר‬
fence
‫גדר‬
withe: branches used to tie together other branches; was sometimes
used as a whip.
Basic Understanding Questions: (p. 39-42)
I. Answer the questions:
1) What would happen to Dave if he got home late?
2) Why did Dave have to sweep the floor, wash the blackboards and clean the windows?
3) Describe the teacher - Professor Herbert.
4) How did the cherry tree break?
5) What time did Dave leave the school? How far did he have to walk?
6) What was Dave's father doing when he finally got home?
I. Complete the summary of Part One using the words below:
The boys left the ___________________ to ___________________ the cherry tree to catch a
little ____________________. After the tree broke, Eif Crabtree ___________________ the
boys six dollars for the tree. Dave couldn’t _____________________ a dollar to pay for the tree,
so he asked the Professor to __________________________ him with a
___________________________ and send him home. Dave was disappointed that Professor
Herbert didn’t ____________________ to lend him the dollar and so he had to stay and help the
__________________________. On his way home, Dave ran ___________________________
in the ______________________ cold because he was late. The cold wind dried the
__________________________ on his face. Dave saw his father doing his job and quickly
opened the ____________________________.
whip, borrow, janitor, crowd, freezing, sweat, lizard, offered, climb, fence, charge,
uphill
II. Dealing with Dialect: Understanding Luster’s speech
Below is a mini-dictionary to help you understand what Pa is saying.
Luster’s Dialect
Standard English
(the way we
speak)
‘em
them
‘im
him
agin
against
ain’t
am/is not
allus
always
atter
after
fer
for
gettin’
(apostrophe)
getting
hep
help
hisself
himself
jist
just
larnin’
learning
th’
the
Luster’s speech
"What in th' world has kept you so? Why
ain't you been here to help me with this
work? Make a gentleman out'n one boy in
th' family and this is what you get! Send
you to high school and you get too onery
fer th' buzzards to smell!"
What we understand
Why are you late? I send you to
school and now you are too snobby
to do your chores?
OR
‫למה אתה מאחר? אני שולח אותך לבית‬
‫הספר ועכשיו אתה "טוב" מדי לעשות מטלות‬
?‫בבית‬
"Why are you gettin' in here this time o'
night? You tell me or I'll take a hickory
withe to you right here on th' spot!"
Don't they teach you no books at that high
school? Do they jist let you get out and
gad over th' hillsides?
Didn't do that, my son, when I's a little
shaver in school. All fared alike too."
"Ashamed of your old Pap are you, Dave,"
says Pa, "atter th' way I've worked to raise
you! Tryin' to send you to school so you
can make a better livin' than I've made.
take a different kind of lesson down there
and make 'im acquainted with it."
You'll get th' Law atter you. You'll jist go
down there and show off and plague your
own boy Dave to death in front o' all th'
scholars!"
My boy is good as th' rest, ain't he? A
bullet will make a hole in a schoolteacher
same as it will anybody else.
bug larnin' and this runnin' all over God's
creation huntin' snakes, lizards, and frogs.
Ransackin' th' country and goin' through
cherry orchards and breakin' th' trees down
atter lizards!
Analysis and Interpretation: (p. 39-42)
There is a proverb, "If you spare the rod you spoil the child."
1) What do you think this means?
2) Who says this?
3) To whom does he say this?
4) Explain why he says it.
5) Is there a similar expression in your mother tongue?
I. Glossed vocabulary: (p. 42-44)
English
Definition
‫פיזור חבילות אוכל לחיות‬
scattering the bundles of fodder
‫התפצל בצמתי הענפים‬
It split at the forks
‫לשוטט ולבלות‬
galavant (also spelled gallivant)
‫ מוריד את‬,‫הייתי לוקח את חבילת האוכל לחיות‬
‫ מפזר‬,‫קשרי הענפים הרכים מסביב לחבילה‬
‫אותו על האבנים עם שיחים ירוקים נמוכים כדי‬
.‫שהבקר לא ירמוסו אותו מתחת לרגליהם‬
I would take a bundle of fodder, remove
the hickory witheband from around it, and
scatter it on rocks, clumps of green
briers, and brush so the cattle wouldn't
tramp it under their feet
‫דיר חזירים‬
pigpen
‫פר‬
steer
‫הייתי חייב לחלוב את הפרות הערב ולחתוב את‬
‫כל העצים לבד‬
"I had to do all th' milkin' tonight, chop th'
wood myself
Basic Understanding Questions: (p. 39-42)
I. Answer the following questions:
1. Who is Eif Crabtree?
2. What thoughts does Dave have after his talk with his father?
3. What do we find out about the teacher Professor Herbert?
4. What does Dave do after eating his supper?
5. List the actions that Pa will take in school tomorrow in order to stand up for Dave.
a. ___________________________________
b. ___________________________________
c. ____________________________________
6. What does Dave hope will happen to his Pa before he goes to school with him?
II. Complete the chart: Who said this? To whom did he/she say it?
Quote
When
"Why are you gettin' in here this
time o' night? You tell me or I'll
take a hickory withe to you right
here on th' spot!"
when Dave arrives
home
“ I had to stay after school”
Who said?
Pa
To whom?
Dave
“We take a subject in school
where we have to have bugs,
snakes, flowers, lizards, frogs,
and plants. It is biology. It was a
pretly day today. We went out to
find a few of these.”
“A bullet will go in a professor
same as it will any man.”
"...you jist stay away from there.
Don't cause a lot o' trouble. You
can be jailed fer a trick like that.”
Analysis and Interpretation Questions: (p. 42-44)
I. Answer the following questions:
1. There are two important men in Dave’s life.
a. Name them.
b. Show how he respects and tries to understand both of them.
c. What values does he learn from each one?
2. Both Pa and Professor Hebert demand that Dave take responsibility.
a. How are these responsibilities similar?
b. How are these responsibilities different?
Basic Understanding Questions: Part Two (p. 47-51)
1.
Word
thaw
ditches
sheepskin
slouched (adj)
holster
trudging
black-rimmed
glasses
varmint
Definition
‫להפשיר‬
‫תעלות‬
‫עור כבש‬
‫עמד בצורה עצלנית‬
‫נרתיק לאקדח‬
‫דשדוש‬
‫משקפיים שחורים‬
‫שרץ‬
I. Dealing with Dialect: Understanding Luster’s speech
Luster’s speech
What we understand
“I don't like no sicha foolish way o'
larnin' myself!"
“It's a lot in knowing the other fellow.”
“He said you's all out bug huntin'
yesterday”
“the long blue forty-four and put his
finger on the end of the barrel”
“This maul o' mine could do you up in
a few minutes”
“You know that's dangerous, too,
puttin' a lot o' boys and girIs out
together like that!"
“all this swarm of youngins out to
pillage th' whole deestrict. Breakin'
down cherry trees. Keepin' boys in
atter school”
“only a-larruped im with a withe”
“too big until they're over twenty-one”
“It don't look good to me nohow”
Basic Understanding Questions: Part Two
Complete the paragraph with the words:
steep, softened, scholar, overalls, mighty, boots, duty, frost
In the morning, Dave saw the ___________________ on the trees that he knew the sunshine
would melt during the day causing muddy water. Pa wore _____________________ and
__________________________ and put his gun in the holder. Pa looked
_________________________ next to Professor Herbert when he said that he wanted to make
Dave smart like a ________________________. Professor Herbert explained to Pa that he is
following the program of the State which he had to do because it was his
___________________________ as a teacher. Professor Herbert explained that the price of the
tree was ___________________________, but that it was a good lesson. Pa
___________________________ and put his gun back under his coat.
I. Answer the following questions:
1. What does Pa tell Professor Herbert ?
2. What does Professor Herbert explain to Pa ?
3. Analysis and Interpretation: Part Two
I. Special vocabulary:
There is an idiom, “I was shaking like a leaf in the wind.”
1. What do you think this means?
2. Who says this?
3. What caused him to shake like a leaf in the wind?
II. List the chores that are done on the farm every morning.
Ma
Pa
Dave
Answer the following questions:
1. Do these chores occur every day?
2. Why is it important to do these chores every day?
3. What do we know about the family because of their behaviour every day?
Analysis and Interpretation Questions: Part Two
1. Both of Dave’s worlds now come together. What are his feelings and concerns about this?
2. "Maybe Pa will find out Professor Herbert is a good man. He just doesn't know him. Just like I
felt toward the Lambert boys across the hill. I didn't like them until I'd seen them and talked to
them. After I went to school with them and talked to them, I liked them and we were friends.
It's a lot in knowing the other fellow."
a. How did Dave feel about the Lambert boys when he first saw them?
b. How does Dave feel about them now?
c. What experience changed the way Dave feels about the Lambert boys?
1. Vocabulary Practice: Part Three
Word
dry timothy grass
Translation
‫עשבים מיובשים‬
incubator
‫מדגרה‬
protozoa
‫תאי‬-‫חי חד‬
scum
‫ליכלוך‬
casual
‫לא פרומלי‬
dissect
‫ לבתור‬,‫לנתח‬
leafless elm
buckskin
baggy
collar
propositions
gray-streaked black hair
ripe fodder blade
gnarled
geometry
prints (outlines)
‫עץ בוקיצה בלי עלים‬
‫עור הצבי‬
‫מכנסיים רפויים‬
‫צווארון‬
‫ היפוטזות‬,‫הצעות‬
‫שיער שחור עם פסים אפורים‬
‫להב שחותחים איתו את האוכל של החיות‬
‫מיובל‬
‫גיאומטריה‬
‫משימות כתיבה‬
I. Dealing with Dialect
Luster’s speech
“Th' incubator is th' new-fangled way o' cheatin'
th' hens and raisin' chickens. I ain't so sure
about th' breed o' chickens you mentioned."
“jist readin', writin', and cipherin'”
“Th' world's changin'”
“'Seein' is believin',' Pap allus told me.”
II.
What we understand
Basic Understanding Questions: Part Three (p. 53-56)
I.
Complete the summary with the words:
wrinkled, punch, ashamed, grin, march, dispute, germs, teeth, playground,
snake, butterfly, toad, blackboard
Professor Herbert explained that the students hunted _______________, ______________ and
_________________________. Professor Herbert told Pa that he had ________________ on
his ___________________. Pa was surprised by Professor Herbert’s explanation of germs but
he did not ______________________ him. When the other students _______________________
into the schoolhouse and saw Pa, they _____________________ and ____________________
each other. Pa’s overalls were ______________________ and baggy. Dave watched Pa standing
beside Professor Herbert. During class, Professor Herbert had the students write on the
___________________. Dave saw Pa and Mr. Herbert in the _________________________.
He wouldn’t be ____________________ of Pa as long as he ____________________ and didn’t
use the gun.
II.
Questions:
1. Professor Herbert wants to show Pa that school has changed.
a. What did Pa learn at school?
b. What new subjects does Pa see Dave is learning at school?
2. Professor Herbert introduces Pa to the idea of germs. How does Pa react to the idea?
3. Dave notices how the other students see his father. List at least three things that they notice
in class and in the cafeteria.
Analysis and Interpretation Questions: Part Three
1. “They ate together. The students watched the way Pa ate. He ate with his knife instead of his
fork. A lot of the students felt sorry for me after they found out he was my father. They didn't
have to feel sorry for me. I wasn't ashamed of Pa after I found out he wasn't going to shoot
Professor Herbert.”
a. Why do Dave’s friends feel sorry for him?
b. Why wasn’t Dave ashamed of Pa?
2. “Th' world's changin'."
"It is," says Professor Herbert, "and we hope all for the better. Boys like your own there are
going to help change it. He's your boy. He knows all of what I've told you. You stay with me
today."
a. During Pa’s visit, he realizes that the old world has changed. In what way is Pa
curious about the changes that he sees?
b. What does Professor Herbert hope to achieve by showing Pa around the school all
day?
3. “He would find out about the high school as I had found out about the Lambert boys across
the hill.”

When Dave first thought about the Lambert boys, he wanted Pa to get to know
Professor Herbert. What does Dave want Pa to get to know now?

In what way is this similar to “there’s a lot in knowing the other fellow” from Part II?
I. Glossed Vocabulary Practice : Laboratory – ‫מעבדה‬
Word
Translation
‫שרפרף‬
stool
‫מיקרוסקופ‬
microscope
‫לגרד‬
scrape
tartar
‫עששת‬
lens
‫עדשה‬
chloroform
‫כמיקל שמשתמשים במעבדה כדי‬
‫להרדים חיות לפני ניתוחים‬
II. Dealing with Dialect
Luster’s speech
What we understand
You're right certain they ain't no fake
to this
mousers
I don't allow 'em killed on my place."
Man can defend hisself," says Pa,
"but cattle and mules can't. We have
the drop on 'em. Ain't nothin' to a man
that'll beat a good pullin' mule. He
ain't got th' right kind o' a heart!"
animals that can catch and kill mice
Vocabulary Practice
Choose the correct Hebrew translation for the word in bold.
Look for the word in bold
Choose the correct Hebrew
translation for the word in bold
‫ להזיז‬,‫ להתאים‬,‫להראות‬
Professor Herbert adjusted the
microscope for Pa.
To see in the microscope, Pa had to
squint his eyes.
‫ להביט‬,‫ לעצום עיניים‬,‫לעצום עיניים חלקית‬
‫משנים‬, ‫ מזיקים‬,‫עוזרים‬
Some germs are harmful to our bodies.
‫ ידית‬,‫ הדק‬,‫קנה‬
The handle of his gun showed under
Pa’s coat.
The laboratory was filled with expensive
equipment.
‫ רהיטים‬,‫ ציוד‬,‫ספרים‬
The students’ voices were louder during
recess.
‫ שקט יותר‬,‫ חלש יותר‬,‫חזק יותר‬
Dave used the broom to sweep the
room.
‫ מגב‬,‫ מטאטא‬,‫מקל‬
‫ להכות‬,‫ לשטוף‬,‫לטאטא‬
Basic Understanding Questions: Part Five
1. How does Professor Herbert teach Pa about the germs?
Put the actions in the right order:
Events
Pa asks Professor Herbert not to kill the snake.
Pa looks in the microscope.
Professor Herbert adjusts the microscope.
Pa and Professor Herbert continue on to see the rest of the
laboratory.
Pa sees germs through the microscope.
Professor Herbert scrapes tartar off of Pa’s teeth.
Professor Herbert goes to get a black snake to dissect.
Sequence
order
Professor Herbert tells Pa to squint one eye and look in the
lens of the microscope.
Analysis and Interpretation Questions:
Put the sentence in order according to the text.
Events
Sequence
order
Dave says “He knows about his gun and he knows he
doesn't have any use for it in high school.”
Pa puts his gun on the table when he first meets Professor
Herbert.
Pa threatens to whip Dave because he is late.
Pa doesn’t want Professor Herbert to kill the black snake.
Pa says boys can be whipped until they are 21 years old.
In the laboratory, Pa realizes his gun is sticking out of his
coat and pulls the coat over the gun.
Pa gets angry with Professor Herbert’s punishment and
says he will come to school with his gun and make it alright.
“Pa’s face gets a little red”
Pa takes his gun to school to threaten Professor Herbert.
How would you describe Pa’s pattern of behaviour up until he enters the laboratory?
I. Other Analysis and Interpretation Questions
1. In Part One of the story, Dave was afraid what would happen when his father came to
school. Now that Pa is at school, what does Dave realize about:
a. Himself
b. His father
c. Professor Herbert
2. The students look at Pa. They seem to like him better after he said that. Pa with a gun
in his pocket but a tender heart beneath his ribs for snakes, but not for man!
a. Why does Dave think the students like his father better now?
b. What does Dave thinks about his father now?
c. What do you, the reader, think about Luster now?
3. “He looked like a leaf turned brown on the tree among the treetop filled with
growing leaves.”
a. Who is Dave speaking about?
b. What does Dave mean by this?
Vocabulary Practice: Part Six
I.
Glossed vocabulary
Word
remedy (ies)
warrant (n)
pistol
Translation
‫ תשובות‬,‫תרופות‬
‫צו מעצר‬
‫אקדח‬
II. Dealing with Dialect: Understanding Luster’s speech
Luster’s speech
I'm a dead leaf, Dave. I'm behind
I'll hep you pay it. I'll ast 'im and
see if he won't let me hep you."
we're just and honest people. We
don't want somethin' fer nothin'
I don' skip debts. I ain't larned 'em
to do that. I ain't got much larnin'
myself but I do know right from
wrong atter I see through a thing."
"I can't sweep. Durned if I can.
Look at th' streaks o' dirt I leave
on th' floor! Seems like no work atall fer me. Brooms is too light 'r
somethin'. I'll jist do th' best I can,
Dave. I've been wrong about th'
school."
What we understand
Basic Understanding Questions:
1. Why does Professor Herbert want to cancel the debt?
2. Why doesn’t Pa want to let Professor Herbert cancel the debt?
3. What does Pa do to help Dave pay his debt? Is it easy for him? Explain.
Complete the chart describing the two evenings at home:
Use the phrases and actions from the bank below:
Take care of animals, take care of the farm, do chores, Ma makes supper, The
family eats supper, Dave does his schoolwork, Pa tells Ma he would like to take
her to school to see germs, Pa tells Ma that he is going to shoot Professor Herbert,
Dave runs home alone, Pa and Dave walk home together, Dave is afraid of being
late, Pa thinks Professor Herbert was unfair with his punishment, Pa thinks
Professor Herbert has a lot to teach Dave, Pa thinks what Dave studies in school is
nonsense, Pa thinks what Dave studies in school is important
Complete the chart describing the two evenings at home:
First evening
Second evening
1. What do you think was the most important reason for the difference in the two
evenings at home?
2. What happened to the regular pattern of Dave’s home life on this second evening?
Explain.
3. Why is the story called “The Split Cherry Tree”? What is split besides the tree?
Bridging Text and Context Activity
Answer one of the questions.
1. Robert Penn Warren (another American author), said that Jesse Stuart’s stories deal
not only with situations that show human warmth and toughness, but also show
violence and brutality, yet his stories also have some humor that is based on all these
qualities.
(Adapted from the Introduction to The Best Loved Stories of Jesse Stuart, by Jerry A. Herndon, 2000).
How does this general comment about Jesse Stuart’s writing relate to the story “The
Split Cherry Tree”, and help you understand it better?
Summative Assessment – “The Split Cherry Tree”
Part A:
1. Why did Dave have to sweep the floor, wash the blackboards and clean the
windows?
2. a. What did Pa say he was going to do when he got to school?
b. What did Pa actually do when he finally met Professor Herbert?
3. What does Professor Hebert show Pa in the laboratory?
4. Pa and Professor Hebert insist on Dave doing his chores at home and sweeping the
floor after school. What does Dave learn from this?
Answer either Question 5 or Question 6:
5. What is Pa teaching Dave when he says, “Jist remember, Dave, to pay your debts
and be honest. Jist be kind to animals and don't bother th' snakes.”
Thinking skill I chose: ________________________________________________
Answer:_____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
6. Compare and contrast Dave's relationship with Professor Herbert and with Pa.
HOTS
a. Give two examples from the text for each relationship.
b. What can you learn about Dave from these differences?
Part B: Bridging Test and Context
The farmers in Kentucky in the 1920’s were less modern than the people of some bigger
cities in America. These farmers were uneducated. This is because it took a few
generations to get schools in Kentucky. When the children of these farmers grew up and
became adults, they had three choices about where to live. They could stay on the farm,
they could move away, or they could move to the city to study and come back again
(which is what Jesse Stuart did).
Adapted from http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0310443/Appalachian%20Culture.htm
How does this information relate to the characters in the story?
Answer:________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Here are additional activities:
Part One: True or False
1. Dave told his father the true reason he got home late. _______
2. Dave had to pay 5 dollars to pay for the broken tree. ________
3. Dave wanted the teacher to whip him. _______
4. Luster Sexton was happy he had to go to the school and meet the teacher. ________
5. Professor Herbert called the police when he saw the pistol. ___
6. Luster Sexton liked snakes. _____
7. When Dave saw his father with the teacher he was ashamed. ____
8. Dave’s father stayed after school to help him sweep the floor. ____
9. When they got home from school, Luster told his wife about his day. ___
10. He told his wife that Professor Herbert was a bad teacher. ____
Part Two: Vocabulary
Circle the correct words in the sentences.
1. Since Dave had no money had had to accept his (a. remedy b. punishment c. fine)
2. The cherry tree (a. split b. grew c. straightened up) when the boys climbed it.
3. He got (a. a dollar b. a dime c. a quarter) a day for his work.
4. Looking for (a. buzzards b. trees c. bugs) was one of the things they did in biology.
5. Dave had nobody to (a. earn b. borrow c. lend) the dollar from.
6. The boys climbed the tree to see a (a. mule b. buzzard c. lizard).
7. A (a. janitor b. farmer c. neighbour) is the man who helps keep the school clean.
8. There were many (a. pistols b. chips c. bullets) in his gun.
9. Dave had to (a. pour b. draw c. put back) water from the well.
10. After school, Dave had to feed the cows their (a. wheat b. buzzards c. fodder) .
11. The cows were in the (a. house b. pasture c. hill) near the barn.
12. After eating (a. breakfast b. a snack c. supper) Dave went to study .
13. Dave felt (a. sorry b. scared c. ashamed) by the way his father dressed and talked.
Analysis and Interpretation Questions: Part Six
1. Read the quote:
“You must go on to school. I am as strong a man as
ever come out'n th' hills fer my years and th' hard work
I've done. But I'm behind, Dave. I'm a little man. Your
hands will be softer than mine. Your clothes will be
better. You'll allus look cleaner than your old Pap. Jist
remember, Dave, to pay your debts and be honest. Jist
be kind to animals and don't bother th' snakes. That's all
I got agin th' school. Puttin' black snakes to sleep and
cuttin' 'em open."
List the things Pa says about himself and what Pa says about Dave in the future.
Pa
Dave
According to the quote, compare what Pa’s life has been until now and what Pa sees for
Dave in the future.